Please ask your congressional representative to urge the Army to end the cruel and archaic use of monkeys, goats, and pigs to train medical personnel. Right now, the military is doing a self-review of this training. We want the military to use modern, human-centric teaching tools that do not involve animals, and we hope that their self-analysis includes this option.

Currently, the United States military uses live animals in combat trauma training and chemical casualty management training despite the existence of nonanimal teaching methods. Some of the alternatives include training in civilian trauma centers and simulator use.

The existence of these superior alternatives mean that the military is not following its own animal welfare regulation, which states that alternatives must be considered and used if available. Both as a matter of soldier readiness and humane medical practice, the military must modernize its medical teaching methods and forgo animal use in all training of infantry, medics, and physicians.